On Thursday, Scarlett Johansson, the star of the new movie “Ghost in the Shell”, offered an interview at Tina Brown’s Women in the World Summit. However, this was no usual interview, as the topic quickly shifted towards the current administration of the United States. More precisely, towards the president’s daughter, Ivanka Trump. The actress did not hold back at all when she was asked about Ivanka’s actions. Johansson called her lack of attitude “cowardly” and also baffling. This comes after Ivanka’s recent interview with CBS in which she declared that she does not even know what it means to be “complicit”. She was referring to the people accusing her of not doing anything to stop her father’s actions.

Scarlett Johansson speaks up

The 32-years old actress said that she understands how bizarre it must be to have your father in such an important position. Especially in one he never wanted. However, as his daughter, Ivanka has the opportunity to speak up and tell him that what he is doing is not the right thing. Also, that it affects millions of people. Johansson was probably referring to Trump’s recent and highly controversial travel ban. The order banned people from some mainly-Muslim countries to enter the United States. The actress also called Ivanka a smart, intelligent woman who surely knows how to make her point of view clear, especially in front of her father.

Scarlet Johansson was also part of “Saturday Night Live”, where she played Ivanka Trump in a perfume ad mocking her, called “Complicit”. The show is famous for always making fun of the First Family. Alec Baldwin’s imitation of the president has even become a world-wide phenomenon.

The actress expresses her frustration

Scarlet Johansson continued her interview by saying that Ivanka said that she would act behind closed doors. Also, that the people are only going to see the results. In her opinion, is old-fashioned and “cowardly” to hide behind a powerful man. Especially if he is your father. Why not step into the light? Why not empower women by showing them that you have an opinion and you can make it public without hiding behind anyone?

Ivanka also received criticism after she called herself a “champion of women”. However, her father’s sexual allegations are well-known and the fact that he did not improve working conditions for women too.

On Thursday, stand-up comedian Don Rickles passed away at his home in Los Angeles, at 90-years old. He became world famous not because of his jokes, but because he used to insult his audience during his shows. According to his spokesman, he died of kidney failure.

A different kind of comedian

For over 50 years, Don Rickles filled nightclubs, concert halls and gathered viewers in front of the TV with his unusual comedic talent. Most of the times, he was mocking his audience members’ looks, relatives, ethnicity, sexual orientation, jobs and lots of other personal details. Moreover, his victims were normal people and the biggest celebrities too. His comedic relationship with Frank Sinatra is legendary.

He rose to fame in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Rickles was so popular because his jokes and insults were coming naturally. Nobody was writing them for him and he was saying exactly what he was thinking. He was also not holding back from making fun of his fellow Jews. Rickles simply did not care about controversies or sensitive topics. He called some Germans in his audience “Nazis” and often said that Italians are good for keeping cops busy and Negros are useful so that people can buy cotton.

Nobody got offended

Don Rickles’ career has always been a fascinating one. Especially because one would have expected people to get really mad at his jokes. However, nobody really got offended and people understood that he was not a mean guy, but a rather straightforward and talented comedian. In 1965, he appeared on “The Tonight Show” for the first time and made fun of Johnny Carson. He quickly became a regular guest on the roasts organized by Dean Martin on television. Rickles went so far as to make fun of his own wife and mother, whom he numerous times called “the Jewish Patton”.

He married his wife, Barbara Sklar, in 1965, when he was almost 40-years old. His mother lived next door to them. He is survived by his wife, his daughter, Mindy Mann, and two grandchildren. Unfortunately, his son, whose name was Lawrence, passed away in 2011. With old age, health problems came for Rickes. After a leg infection in 2014, he kept on working, even if his ability to walk was not as before. In 2015, he appeared as a guest on the “Late Show with David Letterman”.

The new commercial from Pepsi starring Kendall Jenner sparked some very heated reactions all over the internet. The ad focuses on a protest and many people are saying that it is extremely tone-deaf and fails to display the true meaning of what those numerous protests have been all about. Pepsi revealed the ad on Tuesday and it is called “Live For Now Moments Anthem”. Its background song is by Skip Marley and it is called “Lions”.

Starring Kendall Jenner

Kendall Jenner stars in the ad which shows her posing for a photoshoot while wearing a blonde wig and a silver dress. All around her, crowds of people can be seen, marching on the street and waving protest signs. There are some other people who are leaving what they were doing in order to join the protest. Among them are a musician, a photographer and finally, Jenner. She removes her wig, smears her lipstick and joins the crowd.

The ad ends with Kendall offering a Pepsi can to a police officer who takes a sip and everyone around them approves. However, many people on social media have angrily said that Pepsi is using the recent anti-Trump protests and the Black Lives Matter movement in order to sell their product.

Twitter erupts

There have been numerous reactions to the Pepsi ad, especially on Twitter. Many people have said that it is indeed sad that someone allowed that ad to go public. Many other people even involved the political situation in the world in their tweets. Moreover, there were some who said that they would not buy Pepsi anymore because of this ad.

the worst thing about that Pepsi ad, beyond the blatant disrespect and disregard, is the amount of people who greenlit that advertisement.

Meanwhile, a spokesperson from the company said that the idea was to highlight the many different people coming together and uniting under one purpose. Apart from that, according to Pepsi, the commercial promotes the courage to live freely and to express your concerns without any fear. The company is reportedly disappointed that the message of the ad was wrongly understood.

On April 4th, the first official trailer for Spike’s Heath Ledger documentary debuted. It marked the late actor’s birthday. He would have been 38. The documentary is called “I Am Heath Ledger” and will reportedly debut at the Tribeca Film Festival, on April 23. The evocative trailer shows lots of never before seen images of Ledger, reminding fans why they loved him and his work so much. He passed away back in 2008, at the age of 28 after accidentally mixing some prescription drugs.

In his loving memory

Some of the closest people who knew Heath Ledger are also making appearances in the documentary. Among them are his sister Kate, his friend Ben Harper, former girlfriend Christina Cauchi. Also, many other friends from the movie industry and people who knew him well. The footage is very real and much of it was taken by the actor himself. Cauchi actually says at one point that this is the way she will remember him, always filming and with a camera in his hand.

In the trailer, Ledger seems happy, he was often smiling and had lots of friends around him. The footage that appears in the documentary is reportedly unfiltered and shows the actor exactly the way he was, carefree and full of life. Ben Harper even says of him that he was “the most alive human”. Always living on the edge.

He had his struggles

However, the trailer reportedly displays the actor’s internal struggles too. Especially regarding his continuously growing fame. Filmmaker Matt Amato is saying that Ledger always wanted fame. Still, when he finally found it, he realized it was actually not for him. His other friends explained that Heath Ledger was never going to let success affect him in a bad way. He often told them that he is was not going to change and that he would stay the same humble and friendly guy.

The channel Spike actually has an entire series called “I Am”, which explores the lives of some amazing people who have influenced our world in one way or another. It is interesting that their lives are become known to people through those who knew them best. “I Am Heath Ledger” is going to premiere on Spike on May 17.

Mini-series adapted after bestselling books are currently the new trend. After Lev Grossman’s The Magicians had registered outstanding viewing rates, American Gods was the next obvious pick. The first episode of the mini-series is scheduled to come out this April and the latest trailer has fans eagerly awaiting the noir adaptation of Gaiman’s fantastic novel.

Who Are the American Gods?

Neil Gaiman’s American Gods is a colorful journey that sees the old gods, such as Odin and Krishna falling into disgrace as they are slowly replaced by the new, modern gods. An epic battle ensues and Shadow, a mere mortal, is caught in the middle.

Will the American Gods overtake humanity or will Shadow be able to help Mr. Wednesday restore the former glory of the gods of yore?

The book was initially released in 2001, stirring up a bit of a controversy as Gaiman, born and raised in England, dared to tackle the ordinary and extraordinary American mythos.

In his vision, Americans have discarded all the traditions the pilgrims brought from Europe. Farmers no longer leave fresh food out for the leprechauns, the soothsayers are considered to be phonies in need of a quick dollar, and temples are replaced with banks and brokerage firms.

The new gods are portrayed as fat teenagers with more acne than skin on their faces, smoking plastic drug-laced cigarettes while riding in luxurious limousines. People no longer believe in the old gods, preferring to place their faith in the media, the internet, and Wall Street.

As the number of believers dwindles by the day, the gods of yore lose their powers becoming decrepit shadows of their former selves. All but one have accepted their impending demise.

Will the Show Be as Good as the Book?

Produced by Michael Green and Brian Fuller, the latter postponing his work at the latest Star Trek installment in favor of American Gods, the show features an impressive cast. Emily Browning, Peter Stormare, and Gillian Anderson are but a few of the talented actors that will try and bring Gaiman’s masterpiece to life.

Fuller declared that the show was a challenge as Shadow and Thursday’s journey spans over a large portion of the country. Moreover, the British writer did such a fantastic job when creating the characters, each having its own quirks and extensive backstory, that any A-list screenwriter would have felt overwhelmed upon accepting the job.

Judging by the latest trailer, Green and Fuller rose to the task, the show managing to translate the overall dark, pitiful, gloomy feeling that follows the protagonist throughout the novel. Not to mention some of the god cameos that perfectly describe just how much the almighty mythological beings have fallen.

It has been announced by the Marvel Comics that a 15 year old black girl named Riri Williams would be taking over as Iron Man later this year. As a matter of fact, the company was set for an attack from the right. To be sure, the veteran scribe — Brian Michael Bendis who introduced Riri in an Iron Man comic a few months ago and who will be writing her upcoming adventures that sounded a bit smug and arrogant about the high ground he held against his potential critics.

Referring to some of the comments online; “I don’t think that people even realize how racist they sound.” Michael also told Time in the article presenting the move that I had faced past assaults on Marvel for replacing traditional white characters with non-white ones. “All I can do is stating my case for the character, and perhaps they will understand over time that that’s not the most progressive thinking.” Sarcastically, what fueled the most pointed repercussion to the news is progressive thinking. The new Iron Person was symbolic of Marvel’s efforts to become more representative of marginalized groups, but she also provoked a hard question: What does progress really look like in superhero fiction?

The geek commentariat reached two incriminating realizations about Riri on Twitter collectively and swiftly. First of all, the new Iron Person, which is a black female character was created by and will be written by a white man. The contrast annoyed some on a creative level: Writer Carly Lane tweeted, “You can’t call these diverse stories without diverse voices.” Some of them viewed the problem from a financial point of view: “I am happy to see a girl who looks like me as a lead in a #Marvel comic. I just wish someone who looks like me could earn profit from it. #IronMan,” pseudonymous blogger theblerdgurl said.

There will also be some new characters on the show, namely Greyjoy eldest brother Euron Greyjoy apparently will make an appearance. Popular actor, Lan McShane is going to be seen in the upcoming season. The former Deadwood star is playing a mystery role and he’s not the only one. Recently, Richard E. Grant also signed on for a mysterious role in Season 6 of Game of Thrones.

There are rumors that Kit Harington would return from dead in the upcoming season. Allegedly, Game of Thrones has confirmed the characters return in November.

Selena Gomez’s upcoming Revival album is shaping up to become her strongest one yet, and the singer is going above the standard for promotion – from late night talk shows to multiple magazine covers.

‘Taylor has such a attractive way of bringing people together, ‘ Selena told Flare. That was good for me, because the more I started working, the more uncomfortable I was. “So I’ve always been open about that…I have compassion, I have forgiveness, I have understanding, and this is my life-this is how I choose to live it. I’ve never been disappointed in the choices I’ve made, which I’m proud of”.

You’re disgusting. I’m Indiana the business and I could care less about what “they” or you said I should look like. I don’t want to just be somebody you follow on Instagram who can, like, post decent pictures that they have put literally 500 filters on.

“When I’m with my friends, I’ll host dinners or parties at my home; it’s not like I’m a complete hermit”, she told the mag. “I just don’t give myself to anyone; I don’t trust as much as I would like to, but that’s okay”. Gomez claims that her forthcoming album, Revival, aims to be a journey narrating the self-growth that she has endured since her last album in 2014, the opening line of the first track being, “I feel like I’ve awakened-the chains around me are finally breaking”.

‘I don’t want them to win, ‘ Selena explained to Flare, adding: ‘It’s not fair for them to try to control my life. “I think it would scare me”, the 23-year-old star told Flare magazine. I’m not any of those things. “It’s something I work on”. Yeah, I’m insecure sometimes, but so is everybody. It’s not that hard – I’m a nice young lady – but that’s not my focus, ‘ Selena insisted. “That’s what I wanted the record to feel like”. And Gomez revealed that she’s not letting the criticism of her body get her down.

And while she values social media for the control it’s given her, she wishes she could impress upon the young girls who idolize her how false it can be. There’s coffee, there’s conversation, there are fights, there’s staying up all night and talking.

The full story is available at FLARE.com and will be on Next Issue on October 1 and on newsstands on October 12.